Dynamo: No sanctions for supporters group’s homophobic tweets

The Dynamo will not sanction one of their supporters groups after the Brickwall Firm posted a tweet with a homophobic slur.

Dynamo president Chris Canetti will not punish the group for the actions of “one individual” who posted the comment on Twitter on Sunday. Instead, Canetti will leave it up to Brickwall leaders to identify the individual who posted on the group’s official Twitter feed, remove the person from the group and ban that person from Dynamo games.

“The guys we’re dealing with know it’s very unacceptable,” Canetti said after finishing a 30-minute meeting with Brickwall Firm leaders.

Canetti was made aware of the tweets on Monday shortly before his weekly 11 a.m. meeting with the Dynamo’s senior executives. He and the club moved quickly to address the issue with Brickwall president Joe Garza on Monday.

Garza, who declined to comment on the posting of the slurs, said the group has about 80 members and was founded in 2009.

The Brickwall Firm issued an apology via Twitter, saying: “The Brickwall Firm is strongly opposed to any and all biased or ignorant statements that recently appeared on our Twitter feed.

The posts in question were in no way any sort of official or condoned statement. We are actively rectifying the situation and are dedicated to more closely monitoring statements made by individuals purporting to speak for the group. Homophobia and racism are not a part of our agenda, nor anything to do with the atmosphere, culture, and community that we support. Our apologies to (the Houston Dynamo), and the soccer supporters community at large.”

Major League Soccer officials also called the team to express concern. MLS recently launched its 2013 “Don’t Cross the Line” public service initiative to promote unity, respect, fair play, equality and acceptance.

Individual to be ID’d

The Dynamo have official working relationships with four supporters groups: El Batallon, the Texian Army, the Brickwall Firm and La Bateria.

“First of all, something totally unacceptable in society has occurred,” Canetti said. “We are condemning the comments. The leaders of the group are condemning the comments. They don’t share those values. It was an individual.

“It doesn’t paint a broad picture of members of Brickwall, our supporters groups, our fans or our community. We are going to work with the group to have the person identified and have the group take action against that individual.”

The Brickwall Firm is described thusly on its website: “A membership roster drawn heavily from Houston’s underground music scene, the Brickwall Firm continues to fanatically support their team rain or shine, win or lose.”

The supporter groups sit together in a section at the south end zone of BBVA Compass Stadium, banging drums, waving banners and chanting loudly on their feet throughout most of the matches.

The supporters group section has sold out its 500 seats since the inaugural 2012 season at BBVA.

This isn’t the first time Dynamo supporters have been embroiled in controversy. MLS suspended the Dynamo supporters groups from away games early last season, citing their behavior at the 2011 MLS Cup final. MLS reported several violations, including “multiple illegal smoke bombs brought into the stadium, ignited and thrown onto the field … various objects that presented a safety risk thrown onto the field in the direction of players and stadium personnel … (and) obscene language and gestures by multiple supporters.”

While handing down that suspension, MLS also cited Dynamo supporters for violations at Sporting Kansas City’s Livestrong Park during the 2011 Eastern Conference final and at FC Dallas’ Pizza Hut Park on Sept. 24.

Groups have reputation

Dynamo supporters have become infamous — famous in some of their eyes — throughout MLS for a deft ability to sneak orange smoke bombs into opposing stadiums. At the 2011 MLS Cup, they also showered the field with miniature orange flashlights that had been given to supporters by a Dynamo official before that final.

As a Dynamo SG member, Brickwall get what’s coming for them. If you’re group is stupid enough to give the keys to the twitter account to anyone who joins and wait hours to even backtrack or put up an apology you really don’t care. If they get banned from Dynamo games (which could be a real possibility given the way the tickets are distributed in the supporters section) I wouldn’t miss them. They don’t seem to bring as much as the other 3 groups. They’re just some wannabe Millwall Bushwackers that are in a bygone era and the wrong country.

“Dynamo consider discipline for supporters group’s homophobic tweets”
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quite the misleading headline….the story says that someone hacked into the twitter account and posted the tweets. This is the issue….NOT what the tweets said.

Very glad the Dynamo organization has responded so quickly. A lot of people don’t understand the Supporter Group aspect of soccer, but these groups help create an unforgettable environment when you go to BBVA for a match. They are needed, but sometimes they get out of control. I’m glad the Dynamo front office has the guts to make a stand before it gets ugly. Let’s hope for a ban of some sort… maybe not the whole Brickwall Firm SG, but at least the person who tweeted the slur.

Who would ever thought that our southern brothers would be so insensitive? Soccer is a robust sport for gentlemen, not these brash individuals who care not for sportsmanship. Dynimo, I’ll give you 1836 reasons not to care about this loser sport.

Are you scared of something if you don’t like it? I hate roaches, but, I am not afraid of them. I squash and poison them because I don’t want them around…I really hate “buzz” words…people aren’t homophobic, they don’t like those they consider freaks.

My gosh we’ve become such a sensitive society. I’ve been to soccer games in S. America and that’s the norm to chant anything that gets under your opponents skin. This country has become the land of Granola Guys! Very sissyfied

So long as its being dealt with – and properly so, as in expulsion from the group and perhaps from matches – I’m ok with that. The SGs should be self-policing as it is, but I’m glad they all coordinated together and with the club.

Please… can we get off the “Homophobic” label?? Just because someone disagrees with another person’s lifestyle choice, we have to say they are phobic? Someone should be able to disagree with people on a moral basis and not be labeled or slandered because of it.